Thou Shalt Not Break The 10 Texting Commandments Of Gen-Y

Texting: for a form of communication that is so ubiquitous in this day and age, it’s pretty f*cking pathetic how bad people are about using it. It’s 2013 -- there’s no technological reason you didn’t “receive” a message.

You got the message but you chose to ignore it. While that may be your prerogative, it's pretty damn annoying for the person who sent the message.

There’s no happy medium when dealing with this type of technology -- you’re either really bad at it or you’re overly obsessed. Honestly, as technology continues to increase, people are only going to get worse. Why are there no understood rules for how best to communicate via text?

There needs to be some sort of manual, a guide, so to speak. So below we are going to outline the most basic points for you, these are the 10 texting commandments:

1. If you won’t say it in person, don’t text it

People are ruthless when they can blindly talk sh*t behind a cellphone screen. If you don’t have the balls to say in person what you said in a text message, don’t f*cking send it. It’s really not a difficult concept, yet so many fail to realize this one.

2. Think before you emoji

Emojis are great, but not if you misuse them. Think twice before sending kissy faces or anything of that nature. It can come off as creepy as it often does. Just because you think you need to insert an emoji doesn’t mean you should. If you have to think about it -- just don’t do it, it’s as simple as that.

3. No triple text

One message -- they got it; second message -- they got it; do you really need to follow up with a third message? This is repetitive and unnecessary.

Either the person is ignoring you or they are busy and will get back to you when they get a chance. Relax and chill the f*ck out. Your life won’t end because your first message wasn’t answered right away.

4. Don’t text the person you’re talking about

It really sucks when this happens -- you are talking to your friend about someone while texting and you accidentally text that person. Well that’s awkward and not a good look for anyone.

That’s a confrontation no one would look forward to and is much better avoided. If you are multitasking, double check who you are sending your text to before you hit the send button.

5. No monologues/7 text scrolls

Seriously? Who has time to read your novel of a message? I certainly don’t and I bet the majority of people you talk to don’t either. Honestly, why do you even have time to do that?

If you need to write something that makes your reader scroll through to read it for minutes on end, you need to reevaluate your life and your priorities. No one should have the time to read or write the next Shakespearean play.

6. Don’t abbreviate, learn English

Are you in 4th grade? Do you want to have a gr8 conversation? Then stop f*CkInG writing like dis. Jesus Christ. Nothing is more annoying than having people type like MySpace is their dictionary.

Use proper English and save yourself the embarrassment. You will be dubbed socially inept and whomever you’re texting will probably never respond again.

7. Setting up plans → CALL

If you are trying to make plans with friends, isn’t it a little bit more efficient to -- maybe, I don’t know -- PICK UP THE PHONE and make a call? What could easily be figured out in 5 minutes will translate into an hour-long texting conversation.

8. Make sure nudes are warranted or expected

It’s really uncomfortable when you’re out to dinner with your family and a nude just pops up on your phone. You can’t just send naked pictures of yourself without warning. Honestly, you probably shouldn’t be sending these in the first place, but if you choose to do so, you need to do it in the right way.

9. Don’t fight or make up via text

Be an adult and don’t engage in petty behavior such as fighting or making up via texts. This is something that should be done in person or, if necessary, via a telephone call. It’s disrespectful to both parties involved and really just shows a lack of sincerity.

10. Waiting to respond

Let me ask you, where do you bring your cell phone? Hmm, is the answer everywhere? Most likely. People bring their cells to work, to the bathroom, into the kitchen and virtually everywhere they go. This isn’t a rare phenomenon either, it’s basically the standard rule.

People play all types of texting games and those who are still engaging in them need a dose of reality. You got a text, you read it and then sat for 30 minutes, already with a response in mind, to prevent you from seeming overeager. Who has time to deal with this sh*t?

It’s pretty damn inconvenient for when you are trying to make plans and you’re waiting on the response of someone who has no intentions of immediately responding.